Kilimanjaro, Day 2

January 30, 2014

Kilimanjaro, Day 2:  Mount Mkubwa to Shira 2 Camp


We're disgustingly dirty, thanks to the high winds and whirling dust that envelops us above tree-line, but we've made it to Shira 2 Camp.  The four of us have all flopped into our folding chairs, a luxury we're not accustomed to in the backcountry, and are airing out our sore and sweaty feet.  The temperature at camp is perfect, as the sun is still out; it feels good to be able to just sit back and let it warm us.  After 6 hours of hiking such varied terrain, we're all exhausted, and it shows.

At 11 miles, today was our longest stretch of the entire trek, although it wasn't the most difficult portion of trail we'll be facing.  We started at Big Tree Camp/Forest Camp, at 9,498 feet, and slowly made our way out of the jungle, into the grasslands, then up through the high dessert, before passing through Shira 1 Camp and, finally, reaching the rocky, moon-like landscape of Shira 2 Camp, where we are camping tonight, at 12,500 feet.

Just like yesterday, we stuck with the time-honored tradition of "pole, pole", gradually making our way to higher ground.  But today's pace was much more comfortable, as our guides are getting to know us and our abilities a little better.

Today's hike was amazingly beautiful, in an oddly familiar kind of way.  If I hadn't known I was in Tanzania, I could have easily been convinced this was just another hike in the American West.  At times, I felt like I was hiking Mount Bierstadt, in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.  Other times, I could have sworn I was in Joshua Tree National Park.  These are the times when I'm amazed by how ordinary everything seems, even though this trip is taking me worlds away from anything I've ever known.  But, of course, there are moments when I'm reminded of how foreign this experience truly is, like when we could see the Kenyan border during one of our breaks.  It didn't look like much from our vantage point, but there it was, hidden somewhere in the plains.  Just the thought of that blows
me away.

Even though today's hike was long and fairly taxing, I'm amazed by how good I feel.  Yes, I'm exhausted and my muscles are sore, but that's the extent of it.  I don't have a headache.  I'm not experiencing any stomach issues.  I'm not even overly fatigued.  I feel exactly what one would expect to feel after hiking 6 hours, pleasantly worn out.  Robert was the only person in our group who felt a little off from the altitude, but he was back to normal after the Tylenol had time to kick in.

It's only 3 o'clock in the afternoon, so now we have the remainder of the day to kick back and relax.   Soon, it will be time for our afternoon snack of tea, Milo, and popcorn.  Since we need to give ourselves time to properly acclimate to the ever-increasing altitude, as much of our time over the next several days will be spent hanging around camp, as it will be on the trail.  Needless to say, I see a lot of heated card games in our future...